In live audio presentations, equipment such as microphones, speakers, amplifiers, instruments and other audio devices have inputs and outputs that are connected, whether through wired or wireless connections, to a central location called a stage rack. The stage rack commonly includes significant audio processing. A console (often referred to as the front of house) is connected to the stage rack to provide controls for mixing, level controls and other operations. The audio processing is generally limited to the capabilities of the stage rack and/or the front of house console.
The connection between the stage rack and the front of house console typically is a cable carrying analog signals. The reliability of the cabling is important so that the live audio presentation is not adversely affected. Most data loss in such environments is due to catastrophic failures, typically of the cabling or connectors for the cabling. Data loss between the stage rack and front of house due to noise or interference occurs less frequently in a properly installed system.
Digital interconnects between the stage rack and the front of house console have improved audio performance over analog interconnects, with reduced noise and distortion. However, current digital interconnects have their own drawbacks. For example, a (MADI) interconnect requires separate synchronization and control streams. Ethernet and other network based connections tend to have high latency and some protocols do not guarantee data delivery. Digital interconnects are still subject to data loss due to catastrophic failures of the cabling or connectors.